After the family dinner, Orochimaru lay back in his chair and used Chakra to metabolize some of the alcohol in his system. Only then did he begin to feel a little more clearheaded.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi cheerfully sipping some hangover soup and chatting happily with Qingguang, he got up first. "Teacher Sarutobi, Tsunade, Qingguang-kun, this liquor's too strong. I'm going to head home and sleep it off."
What a shame. He'd meant to use today to sound out Qingguang's attitude, but he'd forgotten that Teacher Sarutobi would be there.
He hadn't gotten a single chance to speak with Qingguang alone. He'd just have to wait until next time.
Tsunade spread her arms and leaned back against the sofa. She lifted her head from where it had lolled back and gave a hazy nod.
Seeing Orochimaru get ready to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi also stood up unsteadily.
Qingguang hurried over to support him. "Uncle Hiruzen, careful."
Hearing Qingguang call him that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was overjoyed. It had been a long time since Qingguang had addressed him that way.
"Good, good. I'm getting old. Back in the day, this much liquor wouldn't have gotten me drunk. I'm an old man now."
"Qingguang, sorry to trouble you, but could you help me home?"
"You're only in your early forties, right in your prime. You've got at least another ten years at the height of your strength. How can you call yourself old?"
Those words struck Hiruzen Sarutobi right in the heart, and his smile grew even brighter.
"Haha, you're right. But ten years from now, the village will have to depend on young people like you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's drunken rambling annoyed Tsunade, who had wanted to rest. She waved a hand. "Qingguang, hurry up and take that old man home. It's obvious he's had too much to drink."
"You're already so old, and you still tried to compete with me at drinking. You were just asking for trouble."
"Go on, get home. Remember to use Chakra to dispel the alcohol, or your wife will nag you again."
With that, Tsunade got up and staggered toward her room.
Near the doorway, Qingguang turned back to say goodbye to Nawaki and Kushina. "You two can come along with Big Sis to the wedding and have fun, too."
Kushina and Nawaki were so delighted that they both bounced excitedly on the spot.
After leaving Tsunade's home, they walked beneath the cool night breeze of autumn. Maple leaves drifted down from the trees, dancing in the moonlight.
The pleasant chill helped Hiruzen Sarutobi sober up a little. The two of them strolled slowly along the street.
"Qingguang, you've worked hard dealing with the Uchiha lately."
"Compared with managing the whole village, the little bit of work I've done is nothing."
"And it's not just me. Brother Fugaku, Yashiro, Hikari—they've all been working to change the clan. I've only been acting as the one to lead the way."
"The credit isn't mine. It belongs to everyone."
Qingguang's words sounded familiar to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He'd heard something like them when he was young.
The one who'd said those words was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Qingguang on the shoulder, his heart full of conflicting emotions. Suddenly, he realized that he might have been a bit of a jerk.
When Qingguang first discovered a problem with the village's medicine supplies, he'd thought the boy had overstepped by investigating it. But Qingguang had actually uncovered the issue by carefully observing the villagers.
Qingguang didn't know about it, but Hiruzen still felt guilty. He'd actually suspected the boy...
"Tell me about it. I'd like to hear what you've been doing with the clan and its members lately."
Qingguang patiently told him everything in detail.
Hiruzen Sarutobi even slowed his pace a little as he listened to Qingguang describe what he'd done. The more he heard, the more he saw the shadow of that former Hokage in the boy.
He wasn't as carefree as Hashirama, but he cared about others just as much.
"We're here. You can go inside. Aunt Biwako is waiting for you at the door."
Even from a distance, Qingguang could see Hiruzen Biwako standing outside with an unhappy expression.
But as soon as Biwako saw Qingguang, her face brightened into a smile, and she came over.
"Qingguang, thanks for the effort. It's getting late, so head home and get some rest."
Qingguang nodded with a smile.
He watched as Biwako grabbed Hiruzen Sarutobi by the arm and pulled him toward the house.
"You old geezer, you're only in your forties and you can't even walk straight? You had to make that boy help you home?"
"You've got quite the nerve. You think being Hokage makes you something special?"
"And another thing—what did I tell you before I left? Go easy on the drinking! Why do you reek of liquor? Do you have a death wish?"
Seeing this, Qingguang shrugged and smiled before heading home.
Early the next morning.
At the Police Department, Qingguang had just opened the door to his office.
He saw Fugaku pacing back and forth with dark circles under his eyes, muttering, "What could the plan be...?"
"Brother Fugaku?"
At the sound of Qingguang's voice, Fugaku froze. A moment later, he was right in front of him, looking tense. "Qingguang, what was that plan you mentioned yesterday? I couldn't sleep at all last night thinking about it."
"Please, I'm begging you as your big brother. Just tell me."
Fugaku looked just like a reader who'd gotten hooked on a book, only to have it cut off mid-chapter.
Qingguang grinned slyly. "It's simple. Last night was Big Sis's family dinner, and Lord Hokage was there, too."
"I brought Big Sis a jar of good liquor and told her to invite Lord Hokage to the wedding."
"Tell me, if Lord Hokage is going to attend the wedding himself, would the clan heads of the other families really be able to sit it out?"
Fugaku's eyes widened as understanding dawned.
How had he forgotten about this? He'd known that Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken Qingguang in as his adopted son, and he'd thought Qingguang had gotten the short end of the stick.
He'd completely overlooked the fact that being the Hokage's adopted son had given Qingguang a dazzling aura in the village.
"Brilliant! Just brilliant!"
"Qingguang, you really are something!"
"I'll send people to deliver invitations to the Ninja Clans right away." As he spoke, Fugaku prepared to stride out.
But Qingguang grabbed him.
"Brother Fugaku, don't. This isn't the right time."
Fugaku froze and stared at him blankly. "Why isn't it the right time?"
Perhaps it was because he hadn't slept all night, or perhaps he just wasn't as clever as Qingguang. He couldn't see anything wrong with it.
Qingguang didn't explain. He just shook his head slightly.
"Besides, we don't need to invite them. They'll show up on their own, won't they?"
"I guess so..." Fugaku scratched his head.
If Lord Hokage was going, how could they dare not go?
But if they were going anyway, why not send them an invitation?
This...
For a moment, Fugaku felt a tingling sensation at the top of his head, as if his brain had grown a little.
"All right, Minister Fugaku, it's time to get to work. You'd better head back to your office."
Qingguang pushed Fugaku out with both hands on his shoulders, then closed the door.
Left alone outside, Fugaku turned the matter over in his mind, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Why, exactly...?"
The reason was simple. Qingguang had invited Hiruzen Sarutobi as a personal favor. He'd invited Hiruzen Sarutobi, not the Hokage.
Making a big public announcement would inevitably make Hiruzen Sarutobi uncomfortable.
This invitation was Qingguang's response to Hiruzen Sarutobi privately assigning him a task related to the clan. It wasn't something to make public. That was the understanding between them, an unspoken agreement.
Before you continue